Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness: How to Stay Sane and Live One Step Ahead of Your Symptoms
by Ilana Jacqueline
New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 2018, 208 pages
From experience, I know what it is like to get the diagnosis, "you have a chronic condition and there is no curing it." It kinda knocks you off your feet for a while. And some never really get a handle on it. That's why books like Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness, is so important. It is quite comforting to know you are not alone. You aren't the only one with a diagnosis that perhaps took many years and lots of doctors to finally discover what it is. You aren't the only one with strange and scary symptoms. You aren't the only one suffering in the shadows.
The author takes her experience and helps to guide you in ways she had to struggle through on her own. Relationships are hard, especially with a chronic disease thrown in the mix---she gives some great tips. You are also guided in how to create your support system, find friends who understand your worries, frustrations, and share in your experiences. You'll also learn how to deal with school or work and how to navigate independently once diagnosed, how to accept your disease and develop coping mechanisms. I especially enjoyed the appendix and its lists of resources and organizations.
Jacqueline just wants to help others who are in a similar situation. She knows it is hard and she shares her tips and tricks to how she has navigated it all. She states, "If nothing else, I want you to understand that you're more capable of thriving now than you have ever been before. In fact, many with chronic illnesses find that other obstacles in life become laughably trivial after they've started learning to cope with their disease...I'm not saying you're a superhero or anything. But like...you're a superhero."
Ilana Jacqueline has an award-winning blog "Let's Feel Better", to share her experiences with chronic illness, to guide others in learning to break through the shame and frustration and live a better life after such a life-changing diagnosis. She is a health advocate from Florida, working to empower others to live full and happy lives.
Add comment
Comments